Quote:
Originally Posted by likwid
In international waters what flag you fly means exactly nothing.
Hense being called "international waters" and not the "oceans of the amerikans"
Pirates don't give a damn who you are or where you're from, they just want your crap.
And all the better that you're American. They'll most likely get a ransom for you.
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OK will start with the harassment of a fishing vessel and illegal fishing practices in Costa Rican waters and the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard. Not to mention harassing ANY boat not just a U.S. Flagged Boat. It all starts with bilateral agreements. The U.S has these with many countries around the world. I will let you read the Costa Rica one at the end.
Now I will tell you that Pirating does happen and then like you said it does not matter where. But really that is a whole different issue and YES if you were being harassed by pirates and were able to raise the Coast Guard or the NAVY they would intervene ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. They have done it before. Especially if you were a U.S. Flagged boat. There are many countries around the world that patrol the same way in INTERNATIONAL WATERS. That means that you are responsible for at least one countries laws maybe more and that you can be prosecuted for crimes there.
Finally the U.S. Coast Guard and other branches of the military PATROL INTERNATIONAL WATERS EVERYDAY.
The look for Drugs, Environmental issues and of course all other illegal activity. They do have authority all over the world in international waters. Just like many other countries around the world.
No one said anything about your foolish comment of "oceans of the amerikans"
All I said was harassing a U.S. flagged boat anywhere in the world is a no no,,, not to mention any other boat flagged in another country. That means in International Waters and it is still a NO NO.
Mainly because a big ship is responsible regardless of where it is and if there is no agreement to prosecute them there then eventually it WILL travel into INTERNATIONAL WATERS and if reported to the Coast Guard they will be boarded and/or apprehended at first opportunity. That crap is taken seriously.
Please don't be ridiculous with your claims or comments,,, Just because the ocean is vast and the LAW can't be everywhere does not mean that it does not exist or is not enforced. I think that video will be enough to inform the authorities.
Embassy of the United States of America
San José, Costa Rica
Press Office
Tel: (506) 519-2000 Fax: (506) 232-7944
http://usembassy.or.cr
Fact Sheet on the U.S.-Costa Rica
Counter-Narcotics Maritime Agreement
December 1999
Introduction
The Unites States and Costa Rica signed a cooperative agreement to help suppress the flow of illicit drugs through the coastal regions of Costa Rica in December 1998. The agreement was ratified by Costa Rica and signed into law by President Miguel Angel Rodriguez in October 1999.
The accord, which has come to be known in Costa Rica as the “Joint Patrol” agreement, commits the two countries to work together in a variety of ways to suppress drug trafficking by sea and air.
Drug trafficking is not only a problem for the United States. Consumption of drugs in Costa Rica, particularly crack cocaine, has risen sharply in recent years. This is partly because traffickers use narcotics to pay their local collaborators, who then sell the drugs to local customers. Drug trafficking brings money laundering, and can also bring corruption when traffickers attempt to buy influence. Drug traffickers show no respect for national boundaries or fundamental principles of national sovereignty. Virtually all countries are victims of the corrosive effects of the production, distribution and consumption of illicit drugs, and the laundering of drug money.
Drugs such as cocaine are produced in South America and are transported through a zone that is six million square miles in size. The transit zone includes the Caribbean Sea, the Gulf of Mexico and the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The U.S. Coast Guard believes that two-thirds of the illegal drug traffic moving through the region does so on boats, including small coastal freighters, fishing vessels and the small swift vessels called "go-fasts."
The U.S. experience has showed that bilateral agreements are the best way to fight illicit maritime narcotics traffic. These agreements preserve the partner nation's sovereignty and its jurisdiction, while deterring the abuse of its vessel registry, territorial sea and airspace by drug traffickers.
Elements of the Maritime Agreement
The U.S.-Costa Rica agreement provides for increased intelligence sharing and coordination in counterdrug activities. It permits Costa Rican law enforcement personnel to embark on U.S. vessels as “shipriders” and authorizes U.S. vessels to pursue suspected traffickers in Costa Rican territorial and international waters. Similarly, U.S. law enforcement personnel are permitted to be shipriders on Costa Rican vessels, to provide advice on pursuit and boarding of suspect vessels and to coordinate with U.S. elements. In exceptional “hot pursuit” situations, the agreement allows U.S. law enforcement vessels to pursue, stop and secure a suspect vessel while awaiting the arrival of Costa Rican authorities. The Government of Costa Rica has primary jurisdiction over all suspects apprehended in its territorial waters, and assets seized in Costa Rican territory will be disposed of in accordance with the laws of Costa Rica.
Increased U.S. Assistance
With the signing of the agreement, the U.S. is committed to making its best efforts to obtain additional material assets and training for Costa Rica in its fight against drug traffickers. The U.S. will donate a former U.S. Coast Guard ship that will patrol the waters of the country’s Pacific coast. Teams of experts from the U.S. Coast Guard and other agencies are providing training courses and technical assistance in areas such as marine safety, equipment maintenance and renovation of Costa Rica’s naval facilities.
Other Benefits
In addition to improved drug interdiction, the agreement will provide closer coordination between U.S. and Costa Rica in life-saving search and rescue operations, and will enhance the enforcement of environmental and fishing regulations in territorial and international waters.
The United States has comprehensive bilateral maritime counterdrug agreements with the Governments of nine other Caribbean nations. These include Dominican Republic, Belize, Dominica, Nevis/St. Kitts, Antigua/Barbuda, St.Vincent/Grenadines, St. Lucia, Grenada and Trinidad and Tobago. Haiti, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua are considering similar agreements with the United States.
Related articles:
Spanish text of U.S.-C.R. Counter-Narcotics Maritime Agreement ('Patrullaje Conjunto')